Living and Dining Room Tour

I am so excited to share with you my living and dining room! When I first decided to start She Went West I knew I wanted it to be primarily fashion.  Then I had to decide whether I wanted to incorporate beauty and lifestyle. Given my obsession with lipgloss, highlighters, Home Goods and Zillow (yes, I stalk homes online every night) I knew it wasn't even a question. 

As I mentioned in my Tips for Home Decor post, I've moved five times over the past seven years (from my apartment in Soho in New York, to a place I rented in Montreal, to a condo my husband I bought in Montreal, to a place we rented in LA on Doheny Drive and now to our condo in Beverly Hills). With each move I've refined my style. 

 I got my love for home decor from my mom. Growing up I remember constantly getting compliments on the interior of our home.  It was written up in several home decor magazines and books. Here is one of the books that featured our hallway on the cover. Needless to say I was so excited about the opportunity to decorate my own home. And much to my mom's dismay (just kidding..not really) I went for the complete opposite look. My color palette is..well...white. I loved the idea of coming home to a clean, fresh, bright space. 

Before leaving New York I went into Shabby Chic and purchased a dining room table and chairs. When I moved back to Montreal I visited antique shops in the suburbs of Quebec. There I found some gorgeous rustic pieces for cheap.  And, of course, I filled my home with pieces my mom gave to me from the house I grew up in.

The condo building we live in now is four floors, with two units per floor. We're on the top floor and therefore the unit is so bright, with tons of skylights. It is incredible that with every move I manage to fit the furniture in just right. That's the beauty of good pieces- they will follow you forever.

A friend of mine on Instagram asked how I keep the white couch so clean. I don't! I bought this couch when I was 18 and didn't really think it through. While I love the all white look (obviously) it is such a pain to keep clean! Every now and again I will remove the slip covers to wash them. Eventually I may need to replace them. 

Here are some questions I often get asked: 

1. Where are your favorite places to shop for furniture and accessories?

Home Goods, Wayfair (we recently purchased our King size bed and mirrored side tables from there),  Shabby Chic and vintage stores (the Melrose Trading Post has some great pieces). 

2. Where is your white couch from?

It is from a store called Montauk. Don't ask how we got it into our home. We moved here just under a year ago. As expected, it took the entire day to move all of our furniture. By the time 5:50 pm rolled around, I was dead. The couch was the last piece of furniture the movers needed to bring in. They tried to fit it in the elevator and it wouldn't fit. Then they tried to carry it up the staircase and it didn't fit. I was literally speechless. Were they going to leave the expensive sofa on the street?? In the end they had to take it to their warehouse and bring it back the next day AND we had to hire a crane to bring the couch in through the window. What an ordeal. 

3. Where is your coffee table from?

Home Sense. It was only $300! I knew I wanted an oversized coffee table and I loved the way the wood looked with the white couch.

4. Where is your bar cart from?

I bought mine on Craigslist from an elderly couple. Stay tuned for a post on how to style a bart cart. 

5. What's the story with that ladder?

That was my mom's idea. We saw it at a boutique that sold vintage pieces and she said it would be a great piece to have in my living room. At first I tried to have plants on it but since I don't have a green thumb that idea didn't last long. Instead I draped a green throw over it. 

6. If you had to invest in one or two pieces what would it be?

Definitely a couch and dining room table (although I have to say we recently switched to a King size bed and it's kind of incredible). 

7. Where do you get your inspiration?

I love to browse the Internet, especially Pinterest. However, when I lived in New York (and Pinterest didn't exist yet), I would go to Barnes and Noble in Union Square, get a Starbucks, and flip through home decor books. Reading the books in the store is the best way to do it since they are so expensive. They can give you some great inspiration and help you narrow down your style. 

8. Are you renting or do you own this condo?

We're renting. We still own our condo in Montreal that we rent out. If we owned this condo I would definitely invest to fix a few things (the floor, kitchen countertops, fireplace etc). However, it works for us for now. I wish you could see the view! If you want to see what it looks like check out my Instagram (I've posted a few pics).